Electric Ireland To End Supply For NI Homes

Electric Ireland has announced its intention to pull out of the domestic energy market in Northern Ireland.

The energy supplier said that following a strategic review, it intended to focus exclusively on the business market and "no longer serve the residential market".

While there currently is no timeline for when this will occur, Electric Ireland has said that it will continue to supply and support their residential customers during the transition.

In a statement released on their website, Electric Ireland, said: "This will involve working collaboratively with key stakeholders, including the Utility Regulator, and with our residential customers to ensure a managed approach. During the process, Electric Ireland will continue to supply our c.53,000 residential customers, equating to c.6% of the market.

"We understand and appreciate that this news may be unsettling for some customers and so it is important to stress that there is no immediate change. There will be no interruption in supply to Electric Ireland customers and they do not need to take any action. Electric Ireland will contact them directly in due course. "Electric Ireland's staff supporting residential customers in Northern Ireland have been briefed and there are no immediate job losses planned. We will continue to engage with and support staff and customers throughout this transition."

Responding to the announcement, Alliance Economy spokesperson, David Honeyford MLA, expressed concern over what this means for customers and employees.

Electric Ireland is the third-largest supplier in Northern Ireland, and has over 50,000 domestic customers.

The Lagan Valley MLA has said: "This announcement will inevitably come as a shock to many, and raises a number of very serious concerns. Both in terms of what this means for Electric Ireland's customer base in Northern Ireland, but also for their employees based here as well.

"It is worrying to see any kind of competition removed from the energy market here, and we must get reassurance from the Utility Regulator that EI's removal will not lead to anything approaching a monopoly, which could be a disadvantage to both the public and potentially also businesses operating from domestic premises too.

"We must now see the incoming Economy Minister take swift and urgent action to ensure the rights of workers and consumers are upheld at every juncture going forward, that their interests are protected, and that they're adequately supported through this transition to come."